Japanese Pronouns Research Articles

The Acquisition of Pragmatically Constrained Japanese Pronouns by L1 English Learners: Results from a Context Translation Task

The allocation of explicit and implicit pronouns and the literature extensively discusses the syntactic and pragmatic conditions that permit and necessitate the use of overt and null pronouns in Romance languages, such as Spanish and Italian. This topic has been explored by various researchers, including Alonso-Ovalle and D’Introno (2000), Fernández-Soriano (1989), Luján (1987, 1999), Montalbetti (1984), Rigau (1986, 1988), and Rizzi (1997). Rothman (2009) argues that the employment of overt subject pronouns in Spanish is pragmatically unusual, except in select discursive situations when their existence contributes more to semantic interpretation than just agreement features. In Japanese, null forms of pronouns are more common than overt pronouns, as observed by Martin (1976). However, like Spanish, the distribution of pronouns in Japanese is influenced by both syntax and pragmatics. In pro-drop languages, overt pronouns, as well as lexical subjects, have the role of resolving any potential uncertainties that may occur when new referents are introduced in a conversation.

Language-specific properties and overt pronoun interpretation:The case of L2 Japanese

Research on second language (L2) pronoun use in null-argument languages has traditionally focused on whether or not a speaker’s first language (L1) also allows null pronouns. However, recent studies have pointed out that it is equally important to consider the specific linguistic properties of overt pronouns in the L1 and L2, which may differ even across two null-argument languages. This study investigates the interpretation and processing of overt pronouns in Japanese by speakers whose L1 (English) and L2 (Japanese) differ not only in whether they allow null arguments, but also in the relative involvement of structural and pragmatic constraints on overt pronoun interpretation. This combination of languages is particularly interesting because English and Japanese overt third-person subject pronouns can be considered at extreme ends of a spectrum: in English they are largely structurally constrained and show a consistent preference for a local subject antecedent, while in Japanese they are loosely constrained by pragmatic factors and show no consistent interpretation preference. Both interpretation and eye-tracking data is recorded, with results suggesting that the unique nature of overt pronouns in Japanese, including their rarity in the input, leads to partial knowledge of them on the lexical level rather than implicating the larger syntactic system or syntax–pragmatics interface.

Effectiveness of Pre-Trained Language Models for the Japanese Winograd Schema Challenge

This paper compares Japanese and multilingual language models (LMs) in a Japanese pronoun reference resolution task to determine the factors of LMs that contribute to Japanese pronoun resolution. Specifically, we tackle the Japanese Winograd schema challenge task (WSC task), which is a well-known pronoun reference resolution task. The Japanese WSC task requires inter-sentential analysis, which is more challenging to solve than intra-sentential analysis. A previous study evaluated pre-trained multilingual LMs in terms of training language on the target WSC task, including Japanese. However, the study did not perform pre-trained LM-wise evaluations, focusing on the training language-wise evaluations with a multilingual WSC task. Furthermore, it did not investigate the effectiveness of factors (e.g., model size, learning settings in the pre-training phase, or multilingualism) to improve the performance. In our study, we compare the performance of inter-sentential analysis on the Japanese WSC task for several pre-trained LMs, including multilingual ones. Our results confirm that XLM, a pre-trained LM on multiple languages, performs the best among all considered LMs, which we attribute to the amount of data in the pre-training phase.

PENERJEMAHAN PRONOMINA PERSONA BAHASA JEPANG PADA TAKARIR BAHASA INDONESIA ANIME TADA NEVER FALLS IN LOVE

<span lang="id">Personal pronouns are one of the characteristics that distinguishes each language from others. Personal pronouns are linguistic elements that refer to self-referential words. Personal pronouns in Japanese are classified into three types: first-person pronouns, second-person pronouns, and third-person pronouns. Personal pronouns are increasingly being studied not only in linguistics but also in applied linguistics, such as translation studies. Subtitles are used in audiovisual media translation. This research deals at how Japanese personal pronouns are translated into Indonesian subtitles of Yoshiko Nakamura's anime Tada Never Falls in Love. This study utilized two methods, namely data collection and data analysis. The translational equivalent method has been used in this study. Based on the findings, it is possible to conclude that personal pronouns in both the source and target languages have the same meaning components. There are, however, differences in the "gender" meaning component, with the source language preferring a specific gender and the target language preferring neutrality. Other findings from this study include the notion that subtitles in the target language have an informality tendency in the pronoun equivalent, resulting in the loss of gender-preferred speech of personal pronouns in the source language after translation. Furthermore, word-level equivalence can be gained although some meaning and nuance cannot be displayed in the target language.</span>

Honorific (mis)matches in allocutive languages with a focus on Japanese

This paper examines honorific mismatches between the allocutive marker and a 2P pronoun within a clause in Japanese. Unlike allocutive languages such as Tamil, Punjabi, Magahi, among others, which require obligatory matching in honorificity (and phi-features) between the allocutive marker and a 2P pronoun in a clause, Japanese allows the honorific allocutive marker to also occur with a non-honorific 2P pronoun. These mismatching structures can be interpreted both literally and sarcastically. We provide a two-step analysis to explain such mismatches: first, we claim that 2P pronouns in Japanese are lexical items, which cannot participate in syntactic binding to inherit their honorific features from a left-peripheral honorific head (e.g., c). Instead, they enter syntax with pre-specified honorific information. Allocutive markers, by contrast, obtain their honorificity in syntax, typically via agreement. Consequently, nothing in syntax forces matching between 2P pronouns and allocutive markers. Secondly, mismatching instances are also not ruled out in the pragmatic component because the meanings encoded by the 2P pronouns and the allocutive marker in Japanese are not comparable, and contribute independently to the meaning of the entire sentence. The honorific information encoded in pronouns is the speaker’s positive/negative attitude towards the addressee based on his/her evaluation of the addressee, while the allocutive marker encodes the speaker’s intent to be polite, irrespective of the evaluation of the addressee, who may even remain unidentified. It is possible for these two meanings to be expressed simultaneously in select conversational set-ups, leading to felicitous mismatching structures in the language.

Japanese first-person singular pronouns revisited: A semantic and cultural interpretation

Japanese pronouns have been the subject of scrutiny in many studies. The contexts of their use have thus often been discussed. However, although we know from literature that some pronouns are more ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’, or more formal or informal than others, it does not appear that we have reached a deep understanding of their inherent meanings. For example, we do not fully understand, from an insider perspective, why some Japanese first-person singular pronouns are said to be more masculine or feminine than others. We do not know why, for example, ore is said to be strongly masculine whereas atashi is seen as strongly feminine. Above all, we do not know which one of these pronouns is the Japanese exponent of the semantic prime I, i.e., the one that is indefinable. The present study aims to address these research gaps. However, due the constraints of space, it only analyzes the meanings of the six most common first-person singular pronouns: ore, watashi, jibun, boku, atashi, and uchi. It further proposes that the Japanese exponent of the semantic prime I is jibun. The study uses Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) to articulate meaning in terms that are maximally clear and minimally ethnocentric.

The Use of Japanese Personal Pronoun based on Gender in “Narcissu” by Tomo Kataoka

This article discussed the difference of Japanese pronouns based on gender from literature point of view. The database of this study was a novel entitled “Narcissu” by Japanese author Tomo Kataoka. The research method used in this research was descriptive method. In analysing the novel, author used the morphology theories by Harumi Tanaka (1982). The findings of this study showed that the use of personal pronoun including first-person pronouns, second-person pronouns, and third-person pronouns in the novel were influenced greatly by gender. The difference in using these personal pronouns were caused by the difference in man and woman’s perception. Based on the data, there were tendency that the speakers choose the best word to utter to their interlocutor based on their own perspective, influenced by the situation and the context. The findings of this study was expected to help foreign language learners to understand better about the use of Japanese personal pronoun based on gender, mainly in conversation.

Why we feel distant from smart speakers? The role of the Japanese pronoun that creates intimacy with robots

Why we feel distant from smart speakers? The role of the Japanese pronoun that creates intimacy with robots

Japanese Pronoun Acquisition by L1 English Adults: Further Evidence from a Coreference Judgment Task

This paper presents the results of a study investigating L2 learners’ interpretations of Japanese overt and empty pronouns in a coreference judgment task. The results show counterevidence to Kanno’s (1997, 1998) claim that learners at an early stage of language study obey the Overt Pronoun Constraint (Montalbetti, 1984), Furthermore, it supports evidence by Masumoto (2008), Pimentel and Nakayama (2012a) showing that learners at the early levels of Japanese learning do not show a knowledge of the constraint, but that this knowledge is acquired by the time they reach an advanced level of study.

Japanese pronoun hon-nin

Abstract This paper investigates the Japanese pronoun hon-nin, which has so far been paid little attention to, and proposes the binding condition to the effect that hon-nin must not be bound by the subject NP. We further show that the Japanese reflexive zibun and the Japanese pronoun hon-nin show complementary distribution just as the English reflexive (himself, etc.) and the English pronoun (him, etc.) do so.

Consideration on the modification on personal pronouns in Japanese - Centrally on the modification of the demonstratives -

Consideration on the modification on personal pronouns in Japanese - Centrally on the modification of the demonstratives -

Grammatical and pragmatic factors in the interpretation of Japanese null and overt pronouns

Abstract Pronoun interpretation in English has been demonstrated to be sensitive to an interaction between grammatical and pragmatically driven factors. This study investigated the interpretation of pronouns in Japanese, which has both null and overt forms. Thirty-two native speakers of Japanese per experiment participated in passage completion studies with transfer-of-possession contexts (Experiment 1) or implicit causality contexts (Experiment 2), varying prompt type, aspect, and topic/nominative-marking of the previous subject. Two judges annotated reference and coherence relations in the completed passages. Japanese overt pronouns were revealed to pattern closely with English overt pronouns in their sensitivity to pragmatic factors, whereas null pronouns showed a mixed resilience to pragmatic factors. Topic-marking only showed marginal effects on reference in limited contexts. Despite different degrees of sensitivity to pragmatic factors, Japanese null and overt pronouns were both mostly subject-biased, casting doubt on the existence of a division of labor between the two forms. There was also an intrinsic link between reference and coherence relations throughout the experiments. We discuss the overall results in terms of language specificity and universality, the latter of which includes interactions between grammatical and pragmatic factors and the importance of discourse coherence in the interpretation of various pronouns across languages.

A Study on the enumeration of person pronouns in Japanese : Focusing on the relationship with the sentences

A Study on the enumeration of person pronouns in Japanese : Focusing on the relationship with the sentences

On the apparent unbindability of overt third-person pronouns in Japanese

Contrary to the widely held view that Japanese overt third-person pronouns such as kare and kanozyo cannot function as bound variables, it has been sporadically reported in the literature that there are cases in which they can receive a bound-variable interpretation. The present paper attempts to provide an account of why Japanese third-person pronouns can be construed as bound variables only in a subset of the contexts in which bound pronouns in English can occur. I argue that Japanese overt third-person pronouns should be analyzed as epithets, claiming that they can function as bound variables only when Condition B and the so-called anti-logophoricity constraint are simultaneously satisfied. I also claim that the apparent insensitivity of the referential use of kare/kanozyo to the anti-logophoricity constraint is attributed to the fact that Japanese (but not English) allows a structure in which a null pronoun is juxtaposed with an appositive epithet phrase.

Pronominal interpretations in L2 Japanese

Abstract This paper investigates L2 learners’ interpretations of Japanese overt and empty pronouns by utilizing a truth value judgment task. The results show evidence contrary to Kanno’s (1997, 1998) claims that JFL learners have knowledge that Japanese overt pronouns cannot have quantifier antecedents from an early stage of learning. The results of the present study show evidence that JFL learners display knowledge of the coreferential readings of Japanese pronouns from an early stage of learning. However, this does not appear to be the case for the bound variable readings. In contrast, advanced learners show knowledge that overt pronouns cannot have bound variable readings. From these results we argue that: (1) it takes time to acquire the knowledge that overt pronouns cannot refer to quantifiers and (2) the JFL learners employed an L1 transfer strategy in the interpretation of Japanese overt pronouns.

Restrições de predicação em japonês: o lugar do sujeito na gramática da narrativa

This work contributes to the long term discussion between those that defend the formal linguistic clues as the main source of meaning apprehended by the reader and those that consider reading as a product of the reader’s creation. A curious linguistic fact in Japanese will be used as an argument towards the firstposition. Predicates that denote internal human states, like sad and tired, cannot be used with second and third person pronouns in Japanese, unless they are used by an omniscient author of a narrative, who can violate this norm for empathy reasons. The paper suggests that in languages like English there are also subtle linguistic clues to convey the author’s attitude towards his characters.

ANALISIS DEIKSIKAL PRONOMINA DEMONSTRATIF KO-SO-A

This research is aimed to find out and describe deictic analysis in ko-so-a demonstrative pronouns in Japanese. This research is a library study, in which the writer took reference and data from the internet, books, and dictionary. The source of the data was manga de manabu Nihongokaiwajutsu (Japanese comics), taken from 1 - 12 edition of Nihongo Jaanaru. The writer employed pragmatic approach under the framework proposed by Takahasi, et al (2000) and Teramura (1999). The data were collected by using inventory technique (note taking). The raw data were classified based on the theory of Takahashi, et al (2000), while the unit of analysis is every sentence containing ko-so-a demonstrative pronouns. The data were then analyzed cataphorically and anaphorically through the aforementioned framework. The result shows that the use of ko-so-a demonstrative pronouns are based on the physical location of referred thing or person, the contextual position of thing or person, and the shared knowledge toward referred thing or person. In addition, the writer also found empatitive deixis, i.e where the speaker’s emotion influences the use of ko-so-a pronouns. This, however, violates the theory of Takahashi, Teramura and Yuuji. Keywords : anaphoric, cataphoric, deixis, demonstrative pronouns, ko-so-a

Syako and Nako of Chinese Demonstrative Pronouns in Japanese

Syako and Nako of Chinese Demonstrative Pronouns in Japanese

Gendered Speech in Social Context: Perspectives from Town and Gown

Our understanding of issues surrounding gender and language has come a long way since the early 1970s. Awareness of sexist language use has been heightened, and such use challenged, generally successfully. Gender-based boundaries have been broken down in many areas, so that the visibility of women in previously male-dominated domains is far greater than it was twenty-five or thirty years ago. Yet few would suggest that the goal of gender equity has been achieved. This book marks our progress along the road to that objective, and suggests ways of moving ahead. In one sense the essays in this volume, which represent a selection of papers presented at New Zealand’s first-ever Language and Gender Symposium, held at Victoria University of Wellington in late 1999, are a celebration of the developments in language/gender studies over the last twenty-five years. This is particularly so in the first section, (The Gown Perspective), which presents the latest academic research into language/gender. Gender is now being viewed as a social construct rather than an essential sex-determined difference. The deficit model of women’s language behaviour is no longer dominant; women are seen to be driving linguistic innovation, as Anne Pauwels demonstrates in ‘Inclusive language is good business’. Indeed, Margaret A. Maclagan’s analysis of New Zealand English speech data suggests that women, in New Zealand at least, have been leading language change for over a century. Understandably, given the symposium’s venue, this volume is weighted towards research into New Zealand English. To an extent this is a tribute to the vigour and robustness of linguistic research in New Zealand today. However, the book does not focus on New Zealand English alone – British male speech provides the data for an absorbing discussion of men’s narratives, and Australian English is well-represented. Nor is the book restricted to varieties of English. Miriam Meyerhoff includes Malo, a Vanuatu language, in her discussion of apologies, and Andrew J. Barke looks at changes in second-person pronouns in Japanese. Uta Lenk examines the language of German job advertisements, in the process raising interesting

A trainable method for pronominal anaphora resolution using shallow information.

We propose a corpus-based approach to anaphora resolution of Japanese pronouns combining a machine learning method and statistical information. First, a decision tree trained on an annotated corpus determines the coreference relation of a given anaphor and antecedent candidates and is utilized as a filter in order to reduce the number of potential candidates. In the second step, preference selection is achieved by taking into account the frequency information of coreferential and non-referential pairs tagged in the training corpus as well as distance and counting features within the current discourse.